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CAPITAL KO: Adam Files will miss the trip to face London Skolars on Sunday.

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Naylor’s call to be ‘more organised’

Date published: 21 March 2014

ADAM Files is Oldham Rugby Club’s latest injury victim.

The young hooker hurt a knee in training on Tuesday and is ruled out of Sunday’s trip to take on London Skolars (3pm).

On a brighter note, full-back Tom Whitehead has been cleared to play after sitting out the Challenge Cup win at Egremont.

With the season only three games old, coach Scott Naylor is limited to 20 fit players. The party to travel hasn’t been finalised.

Players under consideration will include London-born prop Paddy Mooney, hooker Danny Whitmore, Tom Whitehead and utility forward George Tyson (20), who has yet to play in the first team.

Central to Naylor’s selection will be his insistence that Roughyeds smarten themselves up defensively.

Though still undefeated, they have conceded 38 second-half points in their last two games.

“We did a lot of good things in Cumbria, but we need to be a lot better in defence,” said the Oldham coach.

“We are scoring points (80 in three games), but we need to be a lot more organised and efficient at the other end of the field.

“I don’t know a lot about London because it’s still early season and they have had a big turnover of players since last year.”

One of the new recruits, loan prop Ryan Macdonald from North Wales Crusaders, gave Oldham a lot to think about in their three games against the Welshmen last season. Another to look out for is 29-year-old Pacific Islander Patelisio Pelo, said to be big, strong and fast.